


Everything Will Be Fine

by KieraElieson



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Borrower Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Borrower Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Borrower Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Borrower Deceit | Janus Sanders, Borrower Morality | Patton Sanders, Fever, Fluff, G/T, Gen, Human Logan, Rats, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:47:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25247872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KieraElieson/pseuds/KieraElieson
Summary: Trying to protect his younger brothers, borrower Janus gets bitten by a rat. He insists that he’ll be fine, but what is there he can do against sickness?His brothers try hard to care for him, but eventually have to admit that they can’t help him alone.
Comments: 18
Kudos: 166





	Everything Will Be Fine

**Author's Note:**

  * For [parallelmonsoon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/parallelmonsoon/gifts).



It was cold, the dead of winter, and food was getting scarce. There was nothing to be had if they ventured outside, and the humans focused on warm foods, not snacking foods, so food was less likely to be left out. 

But they’d been diligent about borrowing plenty before, and they still had a store of food that would last them until warmer weather if they rationed carefully. 

Unfortunately, they were not the only ones interested in their little stash of food. Roman was on guard, watching while Patton, Virgil and Remus slept, and Janus had gone to find some rat poison, hoping to put it around the perimeter of their house, and thus keep it more safe. 

Janus had to venture into the inside, away from the safety of the walls, but he finally found some, and was careful to scoop it up in a cloth, without directly touching it, and tie it up into a bundle, hanging it like a messenger bag over his shoulder. 

He was carrying it back when he heard a sudden yell, and rushed ahead, only to see Roman facing down three rats with only a pin. He seemed to be uninjured, but Janus wasn’t waiting around to see. He tore open the bundle and threw a piece at the rats, not caring that it was dangerous to touch it. 

“Hey! Over here!” He threw another piece, ignoring Roman’s “Janus, wait!”

Two rats turned, and Janus threw another piece, hitting the last rat in the head. It just bounced off harmlessly, but it was enough to draw its attention. Janus pulled out his hook, and held it, waiting to see whether the rats would attack or run away. 

One rat sniffed at the fallen piece of poison, and ate it. Janus hoped that was enough to kill it, the sooner the better. But then the rat started sniffing in his direction, clearly following the scent towards him. 

There wasn’t enough time to move before all three had run towards him, knocking him to the ground. Janus slashed with his hook, and heard Roman scream for help, and then his senses were overrun with an intense pain in his side, right beside the bundle, and soon after another on his shoulder. He tried to fight against it, swinging his other arm, and the hook gouged deep into one of the rats, sticking there where he couldn’t pull it out as the rat let out a pained screech. 

There was suddenly a lot of yelling, and the bundle tore open entirely, spilling the rat poison everywhere. The rats’ attention left him instantly, and they chased the crumbles of poison. 

And then all the others came chasing the rats with pins and hooks, and the rats scurried away. 

“Janus!” Roman said, kneeling beside him. 

His hands carefully touched near the two bites, and Janus winced, but sat up. “I’m alright. Are you?”

“I’m not the one that got bitten!” Roman said incredulously. “Come on, we’ve got to get those cleaned.”

“I’ll be fine,” Janus said, keeping the pain out of his voice and managing to stand, though he did let Roman help him walk back to their home, where everyone fussed over him far too much for something that would be fine in a week or so. 

••^*^••

Patton was cleaning Janus’s bites in the morning. The rats hadn’t ripped much when they bit, just bit down and then let go later, but Patton was worried, because the skin around the bites was feeling too warm. Janus also had a perfectly straight face, which meant they were probably hurting him. 

He hadn’t bled too much. It wasn’t a little, but he wouldn’t be dying from bloodloss anytime soon. But what Patton was more worried about was that the bandages didn’t only have blood on them. Something else was seeping out, and he didn’t know what. It wasn’t much, but he hoped it became nothing by the next time he changed the bandages. 

“Make sure you really clean them out well,” Roman said, hovering behind Patton and helping hold supplies. “There was dirty ground, and dirty rats, and dirty rat’s mouths!” He shuddered. “And poison! Literal poison!”

“Roman.” Janus said sternly. “Stop. Patton’s doing it perfectly.”

Patton appreciated that, even though he worried that Roman might be more right than Janus was. But he finished cleaning them out as best he could and wrapping them back up in clean bandages. 

“See,” Janus said, smiling at Roman. “I’m perfectly fine.”

“You were bitten by a rat.” Virgil said bitterly. He was the most worried of all of them, and was sitting faced away, as Janus had forbidden him from looking for at least a few days. “Twice. That’s not fine at all.”

“Then I will be fine,” Janus said firmly. “It’s all covered now, so you can come back.”

Virgil turned around, his face set almost as firmly as Janus’s was, but tears shining in his eyes. Janus opened his arms, and Patton noted that he was careful not to move anything near either of the bites. Virgil only hesitated a few seconds before carefully hugging him. 

“I’ll be alright, Virgil. And if anything happens to make that take longer then I trust the four of you to take care of me and each other, ok?”

Virgil nodded, his face still hidden in Janus’s chest. 

“Roman, why don’t you take Virgil and go see if there’s anything to be borrowed? If you see Remus, tell him I’m fine and make sure he’s being safe.”

Roman nodded, and Virgil reluctantly got up to go with him. 

“Patton, is there any way I could convince you to make a pot of tea?” Janus asked, giving his most winning smile. 

Patton smiled too. Maybe it really would be alright. “You can convince me by staying in bed.”

“That I can certainly do,” Janus said. 

It was only when Patton turned away that he caught out of the corner of his eye the way the smile dropped into a wince. 

••^*^••

Janus carefully shifted position, trying to find some way of laying that didn’t pull on either bite. He was only partially successful, and very grateful that no one came in to see his grimacing as he moved. He was the oldest, the protector, he couldn’t be out of commission for long, and he definitely couldn’t let them worry about him any more than they already were. 

Patton came back a while later with a steaming cup of tea, and Janus realized he’d have to sit up to drink it. He pushed the thought aside, smiling at Patton. 

“Oh, you’re a darling, thank you. Just set it here and I’ll drink it in a minute.”

Patton blushed slightly at the compliment, but Janus could still see the worry dancing behind his eyes. “Are you really ok? The bites are getting hot.”

Janus pulled on the thought of how Remus would turn that phrase to form another smile. “I’ll be just fine. A few days and I’ll be up and around again.”

Patton’s smile wasn’t convincing, and Janus hoped that his own was better. He set the cup down where Janus could grab it with his good arm. “I’ll let you rest then, Call me if you need anything, I won’t be far.”

Janus kept the smile up until Patton was gone, and then let himself seriously contemplate whether the pain of sitting up and laying back down was worth the tea. He finally came to the conclusion that it was worth Patton’s feelings, as he would certainly be worried or even upset if he came back to an untouched cup. 

Janus clenched his jaw, and then pushed himself up, pain flaring intensely, but he managed the first movement, and leaned against the wall, letting a long breath escape slowly. Three slow breaths later he had himself under control again, and the pain faded back to a manageable throb. He picked up the cup, and let the warm tea soothe his feelings, even if it couldn’t soothe his body. He’d be fine. He’d certainly had worse things happen to him before. 

••^*^••

Patton shushed the twins before they could reach the house. “He’s asleep, don’t wake him up.”

They both nodded seriously. 

It was difficult, but Patton managed to hold Roman back until Remus and Virgil had gone inside, and he thought he even did it subtly. “Ro, I need you to get me ice.”

“Ice? It’s already frigid. What do you need…” Roman’s eyes drifted to the door.

Patton nodded. “He’s burning up, I need to get him cool. If you get ice, it’ll last a bit longer.”

Roman’s eyebrows furrowed. “I knew he wasn’t alright. I’ll get it, you just take care of him.”

Patton nodded. He looked back at the house. “I don’t know that I can keep it from them much longer.”

Roman put his hands on Patton’s shoulders, gripping firmly. “He’ll be alright. He might not be now, but we’ll help him get better.”

Patton’s lips pressed together as he frowned. He wanted to believe it… 

“Say it, Patton. Tell me he’ll be alright.”

Roman’s eyes were filling with tears too. Patton forced the best smile he could onto his face. “He’ll be alright. We’ll make sure he is. No matter what.”

Roman hugged him tightly. “He will be. You just tell them that, and I’ll get you some ice.”

••^*^••

It was cold. Everything was so cold, and on fire at the same time. His side and his shoulder burned, and everything else felt like it was freezing. Janus shook, his hand reaching, but he didn’t know what for. Something grabbed his hand, holding it gently. It was warm. He squeezed his hand, and there was a sound like someone sobbing. Janus forced his eyes open, and recognized Virgil, holding his hand with both of his. 

He didn’t want Virgil to worry. He wasn’t entirely sure why anymore, but he didn’t want Virgil to worry. He squeezed again, giving Virgil his best smile when he looked up. 

“Janus, you ass!” Virgil said, most definitely crying. “Don’t you dare-- just get better, ok?”

Janus tried to keep the smile, though it was probably more like a grimace. “Promise.”

He turned his head a bit, and it pulled something near his shoulder, which burned. Janus screwed his eyes shut, gripping Virgil’s hand hard, and just trying to ride out the pain. 

“Patton!” Virgil yelled, but the sound was distant. 

Janus’s senses were consumed with fire, the burning pain the only thing he could feel. Until something damp and cool was laid over his forehead. He gasped in a breath, not realizing that he’d been holding it. But the quicker breath pulled on his side, and he was thrown back into the wheel of pain. 

“Put-put it on-” He ground out, and let go of Virgil’s hand to try gesturing to the bites. 

They must have understood, and the cool cloths were laid on the bites. The relief was immediate. Janus relaxed against the bed, panting, and with tears streaming from his eyes. 

It felt so much better, but as the fire cooled, the shivering set back in, the blankets covering his lower half doing nothing to warm him. 

“He needs medicine,” Patton said, his voice quavering. 

Janus saw Virgil nodding before his eyes closed again. 

••^*^••

“There’s no way we could get the right medicine on our own,” Remus said. “He’ll die if we just keep doing what we’ve been doing.”

“And what else should we do!?” Roman said, his voice barely below a yell. “Go to a human?”

Virgil, curled up in the corner, muttered something. 

“This isn’t the time for that,” Roman snapped, the stress getting to him too much to waste effort being kind. “If you have an idea, we need to hear it, and hear it now.”

Virgil curled up tighter. “I said the human downstairs is a doctor.”

“Then we ask that one.” Remus said.

“Are you insane?! Then we all die!” Roman said.

“Guys!” Patton hissed, peeking into the room. “Hush! If you wake up Janus arguing I swear I won’t cook for a week.”

“There’s a human doctor downstairs,” Remus said. “We have to take Janus. It’s our best chance.”

Patton went pale, and bit down on his lip. He frowned, his face screwing up tightly. “I agree with Remus. If it’s a doctor, he’ll know how to help. We can… we can make some kind of deal with the human.”

Roman nearly exploded. “You want to go to a human?? Janus is sick and you all go insane! We’ll all die! Or worse!”

“Is there really an option, Roman?” Patton said, his voice breaking. 

Virgil stood up suddenly. “I’ll go. I’ll see if the human will make a deal with us, and if he will I’ll come back and we bring Janus down. If he won’t, it’s only me on the line.”

“None of us should be on the line!” Roman protested.

But Remus and Patton nodded solemnly. 

“Just don’t be dumb about it,” Remus said.

••^*^••

Virgil slipped out of the walls just as an alarm went off, making him jump and start trembling even worse. The human groaned, but sat up and turned the alarm off. 

Virgil took a deep breath and started climbing the cord, hoping he would be able to get to the top before he was noticed. But the sudden gasp that nearly made him lose his grip proved him worse than unlucky. 

No giant hands grabbing for him, not even a word, and Virgil very purposely didn’t look until he’d reached the top of the bedside table. His legs were trembling so hard that he just sat down. 

“I need help,” he said, his voice cracking already, even though he was keeping his eyes fixed on his hands. 

There was a long moment before the human answered. “How may I be of assistance?”

Virgil finally looked up, to see the human watching him with both curiosity and worry. 

“My--” his throat nearly closed up. “My brother got bitten by a rat. He’s very sick and…”

“Of course.” The human said. 

A tear slipped down his face, and Virgil had not intended on crying in front of the human, but the help was offered so readily. Unless it was a trick. “I- I’ll pay you back somehow--”

“There’s no need,” the human said immediately. “If your brother is so sick that you were driven to ask my help then I ought to see to him first. I admit I’m very curious, but that can wait until he’s better.”

Virgil very nearly burst into tears. “Thank you! I-I’ll go get him.”

••^*^••

Janus was startled from a sleepy daze by something touching him. It slipped beneath his legs, and something else went below his back. He was lifted, and the pain that had been a haze over his sleep roared to life again. 

It was a hand. It must be. Lifting him and hurting him all over again. Janus pushed against it, his arms almost too heavy to move. But he was being moved, and his feeble attempts didn’t do anything. 

“Don’t,” he begged, his voice coming out thin and weak. “Don’t, please don’t, not again!”

The hand squeezed, and it hurt. 

“Please, let me go!” he pleaded. He had to get back home. Patton was too little to take care of the twins, and Virgil was just a baby. He had to get back.

He tried to sit up, and swung his arm, trying to hit the hand and make it drop him, but instead it closed over him, pinning his arms to his sides.

“No, no, no, please!” 

It hurt. It hurt so badly. Janus thrashed against it, but it hurt worse every time he moved, punishing him for his resistance until he gave up, sobbing out pleas to let him go home.

It was only after an eternity that they came out into the light, and he could see the giant face looming over him. “Let me go home, please, they’re waiting for me.”

He was laid down on a flat surface, cold seeping back into his body. 

He could move his arms again, and tried to move, to get up, to kick, anything, but he was held down. He looked, and Virgil was holding one arm, Patton holding another, and the twins were holding his legs down. 

The human had a knife in its hand, gloves on and a mask, pointing it in his direction. 

“No… no, no, please! Why? Patton, please! Virgil! Why?!”

The knife came down, cutting through his shirt and the bandages on his torso. It would be him next. The human was going to cut him open and his own brothers were holding him down so it could happen. 

Janus let out a shaking scream. This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be. It couldn’t. Please…

The knife was taken away, replaced with a massive dropper, dropping acid onto his shoulder, burning and bubbling through it as Janus screamed and pleaded. It dropped more onto his side, and the pain finally ended as he blacked out. 

••^*^••

Logan hadn’t dared try and dose anesthesia for such a small body, though now he was wishing he had. The tiny person had been fevered and terrified even before seeing him, and things got much worse when Logan had to ask his brothers to hold him down. 

It was a relief to them all when he lost consciousness, though there were still rivers of tears from the brothers. Logan was as fast as he could be while still ensuring that he was clearing out all the infection. 

As soon as he was finished, and had bandaged the tiny body in sterile bandages, he left the room. “I’ll go calculate the dosage for a fever-reducer.”

But really, it was as much for him as for them. He wasn’t sure how he had even done it. It hadn’t taken long, maybe ten minutes all told, but those ten minutes were already replaying in his mind, and he knew they would haunt his dreams. 

He set his mind on numbers instead, trying to figure out how much it would be safe to give someone so tiny. 

Tiny screams and sobbing pleas still echoed in his ears. He understood even more now why the one who had come to him first had been shaking so badly. 

He figured out how much it would be, finally, and spent a while trying to measure it out, before finally having it ready. 

Then he went into the kitchen and pulled out the box of biscotti that he rarely ate. He made a cup of coffee, poured some onto a saucer, and set a piece of biscotti on the saucer in the coffee. He took it back into the other room and offered it to the tiny people, eating his own biscotti and drinking a much too large cup of coffee. 

“Here’s the medicine, get him to eat it once he wakes up,” he said, his voice even more tired than he thought he was. 

“Thank you,” one of the tiny people said, taking the medicine from his fingers. 

By the looks of it, none of them had yet stopped crying. Not that he blamed them. 

••^*^••

Janus woke slowly, disoriented by the bright light and high ceiling. Patton was beside him in an instant. 

“I’m glad you woke up, here’s some more medicine.”

Janus choked down some truly disgusting powder, and Patton gave him a long drink of something that was not water. 

“Are you feeling any better, or are you going back to sleep?” Patton asked gently. 

Janus gave him a slight smile. “I’m fine.”

Patton’s face clouded with anger. “Janus Sanders, don’t you dare lie to me!”

Janus was taken aback, and took a quick stock of how he was actually feeling. “I’m still very sore, but really, I’m feeling better now.”

Patton’s anger turned to tears, though they didn’t fall. “I’m sorry. I was just so scared for you.”

Janus reached for his hand, and then noticed where they were. Or rather, where they weren’t. “We aren’t in the walls.”

Patton shook his head. “No. We took you to a human. He’s a doctor, and the only reason you’re doing any better.”

Janus frowned, but, he was feeling better. And Patton didn’t seem to think it was dangerous. 

“How long has it been?”

“About three days since we brought you here. Six since you got bit. Do you remember any of it?”

Janus shook his head. “Bits and pieces. Not really.”

Patton sighed in relief. “Oh, good.”

“Why? What happened? Is one of the others hurt?!”

“No, no, they’re fine!” Patton said quickly. “It was just a very hard few days for all of us.”

Janus relaxed, noting unpleasantly that he’d pulled on his side as he tensed, and it was throbbing painfully now. 

Still, he smiled. “I told you it would turn out alright.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
